


Goin’ To The Chapel

by The_Anwarrior



Series: Priorities [5]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Marriage, Sappiness, So Many Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-07 14:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15910128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Anwarrior/pseuds/The_Anwarrior
Summary: Ryder, Suvi, and the rest of the Tempest crew spend the next few days planning a wedding.





	1. Goin’ To The Chapel

Sat in the Galley, Sara, Lexi and Kallo threw around some small wedding ideas before Suvi was able to finish her work and join them. The time was closing in on the date, and Sara was beginning to grow nervous her idea wouldn’t follow through as planned.

“I’ve made sure everyone on the team knows.” Sara fiddled with her thumbs and let out an anxious sigh. “My Mom is making sure all the finishing touches on Meridian are wrapping up. We _have_ to make this work.”

Kallo nodded his head in agreement. He knew his best friend at least as well as Sara, and he knew how to persuade her just right. “I don’t think it will be too difficult to talk her into it.”

“Suvi is usually very compliant. I think if you give her your opinion, she’ll definitely consider it and most likely accept it.” Lexi snapped into Psychologist mode and took things into an analytical standpoint. She wanted Ryder’s plan to work just as much as Ryder herself. She knew Suvi and how much she enjoyed Sara’s little surprises- and this one was her greatest yet.

Her blonde hair swayed as Sara shook her head. “It can’t be my idea, remember? Suvi would think it’s weird that I haven’t made any suggestions so far, then suddenly I have a _strong_ opinion of having the wedding on Meridian? No, it’s too obvious.”

“I think if we just-” The salarian quickly closed his mouth once Suvi stepped through the Galley doors.

The redhead floated over to the table and took a seat beside Kallo across from her Doctor and fiancée. She noted the silent, smiling faces staring at her, leading her to dash her eyes around nervously. “Did I miss something?”

Doctor T’Perro folded her hands together in front of the table and looked to Suvi with friendly eyes. “Suvi, where were you thinking of having the wedding?”

The Scot looked up to the ceiling, letting eyes drift around as she pondered. Since she was a little girl, Suvi had expectations of what her big day would look like. Her highest hope was to get married in a chapel. Little Suvi’s parents used to take her to church on special occasions or whenever their work allowed the time for it. She always enjoyed her time at church; it was peaceful, relaxing and best of all, all of her favorite people would pile together to let go of their wrongs from the week.

Doctor Anwar had to let such a standard go and list out the next best thing. She had thought of somewhere tropical, green and warm. Somewhere that allowed complete peace the way the chapel did. “Um, I don’t know. I think Aya could be nice?”

Sara subtly widened her eyes at Kallo, silently telling him to step in and change her mind.

The pilot caught a glimpse at Sara and began to do what he did best- talk. “Oh, Suvi, you’re having your honeymoon on Aya. Wouldn’t you want to go somewhere different for the wedding?”

Suvi let her eyes wander around once again as she painted a mental picture. “I don’t know, I think it would be nice. It could be on the beach or something and we could have the party on the beach as well. That would be fun, don’t you think, Sara?”

Ryder picked up her head and fought for something to say to be sure she didn’t sound like she was against the idea- even though she was. “Uh, yeah. It could be nice. We can keep that option open, but the most important thing is exploring all of our options. Let’s just keep an open mind.” She nodded.

“Why don’t you want to get married on Aya?” The redhead looked to Ryder and wondered why her opinion was suddenly tacit.

Sara nervously shifted her blue eyes around the room before she found Suvi’s. “I didn’t say that I didn’t.”

Doctor Anwar piped up to hopefully clear some confusion. “No, but you act like you-”

“The most _important_ thing,” Lexi began by cutting Suvi off to make a point. “Is going through all of our options and listing out the pros and cons.”

Ryder quickly swept up the role of finding the disadvantages of each planet to cut out any other option but Meridian. “Elaaden is too hot, Voeld is too cold, Kadara is too dangerous, and Eos? Let’s be real, Eos doesn’t have much curb appeal. Havaarl is not even an option for obvious reasons.”

Suvi watched as her fiancée talked a mile a minute. It was strange how cryptic everyone was being. Usually if Suvi made a suggestion about her wedding, everyone made it happen. She wondered why the venue mattered so much in the eyes of everyone else. First, Sara didn’t have any kind of opinion. Now she can’t stop speaking about the venue. It was weird to Suvi.

“So that leaves us with Meridian...” Ryder eyed the group surrounding her before Suvi continued for her.

“-And Aya.”

“It’s… an option, yes.” Ryder quickly flashed a screwed up expression to the Doctor, signaling she was out of excuses.

“I-”

“Anyways,” Sara took away her fiancée’s chance to speak as she stood up and placed a kiss on her head. “I have that interview with Jaal and the Moshae. You’ll fill me in on the details over supper, yeah?”

Suvi nodded back with a tight-lipped smile and watched her partner leave. She slipped her look between Lexi and Kallo and went over some questions that Sara had raised. “What was that? Sara’s had no opinion so far, but the venue is some big deal that causes this much trouble?”

Almost as if on cue, PeeBee tumbled through the Galley doors to raid the fridge. “What’re you guys talking about?” Her focus never left her snack-search as she asked.

“We’re talking about wedding venues!” Kallo simpered. “It’s between Aya and Meridian.”

PeeBee turned around and sneered at what seemed to be the obvious answer. “That’s easy. Meridian.”

Suvi’s jaw fell open. Her mind couldn’t fathom the fact that Meridian had a better place for a wedding than a place on the beach. Aya was the obvious answer in her opinion, but apparently, that didn’t seem to matter. “What is so wrong with Aya?”

The younger asari didn’t seem to have much of a relatable answer, but spat out anything she could come up with. “I dunno’, I just think Meridian is better.” With her search complete, PeeBee left with the tub of ice cream and accomplished her task of planting the seed.

Next, it was Gil’s turn. Ryder wanted to make one hundred percent sure that Suvi heard both of her best friends’ opinions. Brodie’s judgment was highly valued by Suvi. She trusted his guidance, so anything Gil said, Suvi took it into consideration.

The engineer took it upon himself to come up with the easiest excuse there was- to listen in and help out. He entered the doors and took a seat next to Lexi. “Have y’all come up with a venue yet?”

Suvi covered her face with her hands to hide from the stress as she let Lexi answer for her. “Suvi is leaning towards Aya, but it looks like everyone else is leaning towards Meridian.”

“Even Sara? She never had much of an opinion.” Gil patted himself on the back for his acting skills. Once Sara informed him of her plan, he knew he had it handled.

“I know!” Suvi whined. “It’s weird. It’s like everyone is in cahoots and you all just want me to choose Meridian for some odd reason.”

Gil eyed Lexi and Kallo before looking to Suvi. “I’m not in cahoots with anyone,” He lied. “So I’m telling you that you do what you want. This is your wedding and Sara said herself that it’s _your_ day. Not hers. You choose where you want to get married.” Gil’s advice was just as solid as Lexi’s as he tried to take matters into his own hands.

“Thank you, Gil.” Suvi smiled.

“ _However_ ,” Brodie droned. “I think Meridian is more your speed. It’s your home, it’s beautiful and green and warm, and you’ll have a bigger reception there. I think you’ll enjoy it more if it’s on Meridian.” Gil shrugged after saying his piece and left the room.

As the afternoon faded into the evening and Sara finished with the details, she decided to pitch her concerns to none other than her mother. Ryder was very trusting of her team, but Sara recalled telling Suvi that it was _her_ day, and she got to pick whatever she wanted. Hearing Suvi say she was most interested in Aya made Sara feel a bit anxious regarding her plan.

Ryder took in the view and went over all the finished details she and her mother completed and couldn’t help but smile, though her happiness quickly turned to anxiety as she pictured the possibilities. “I’m afraid to tell her I want to get married here. I don’t want her to feel like I’m against her, or that her opinion doesn’t matter. What if she chooses Aya just because I can’t tell her about Meridian?”

Ellen shot her daughter with a look resembling her own sarcastic expression. “You’re making this complicated. When Suvi comes to meet you for supper, show her this. Aya will be forgotten if you just tell her you want to get married here then show her why.”

Doctor Ryder watched her daughter’s nerves dissolve as she continued talking. “You’ve worked hard on this. _I’ve_ worked hard on this. A whole _team_ has worked hard on this.” She chuckled. “You have to show her, or she won’t understand. Once she sees what you’ve done for her, nothing else will matter.”

Immediately, Sara knew what she wanted to do and she knew exactly how to surprise the love of her life. Ryder began making preparations until it was time to meet Suvi for supper.

Suvi took a seat across from Ryder at the table and was welcomed with a warm smile. She sat across from what Andromeda, and herself, deemed the prettiest woman in the galaxy, and she was all hers. She instinctively smiled once she made contact with Sara’s baby blues. There was practically nothing about Ryder that was unattractive to Suvi- nothing inside or out, and she was lucky enough to experience all of it.

Ryder showed off her pearly whites the second she saw her fiancée. “How was the rest of your work day, did you finish all of your reports?”

“It was… productive, yes, but it was also kind of odd.” Suvi admitted. Her face twisted to show a bit of confusion and waited for Sara to ask for clarification.

Ryder took a sip of her wine and furrowed her eyebrows at the woman across the table. “What do you mean?”

Suvi looked off in the distance to collect her thoughts and continued. “Like… everyone came up to me today and made it a point that they like Meridian better for a venue rather than Aya.”

Sara resumed to down her wine as her eyes shot around nervously and patiently waited for Suvi to finish.

The redhead let her curiosity take control and began to raise her voice. “I mean, at one point, Drack came into the crew quarters where I was just checking my email. He said ‘Meridian’, then left. Like that’s all he said!”

The Pathfinder couldn’t help but chuckle at Drack’s attempt to convince Suvi that Meridian was the ideal spot for a wedding. Regardless, she was thankful that Drack made any kind of an attempt at all. “You’re right, that is strange. Suddenly everyone has an opinion.” Sara took a bite of her food, hoping her acting skills were up to par and Suvi wouldn’t crack the code.

The Scot glanced at Sara with suspecting eyes and called for her attention. “Suddenly you have an opinion about the venue, too. Oddly enough, it’s the same venue everyone else seems to like at the same moment everyone else has a preference. Surely I’m just making this up?” She sipped her wine, trying to draw Sara out of her own tricks.

Sara didn’t look up from her meal, trying to avoid the conversation entirely once Suvi was starting to catch on.

“Sara.”

Slowly, Ryder lifted her blue eyes to Suvi’s and knew she was about to demand some answers. “Yes?”

Doctor Anwar set down her silverware and stared Sara down. “Do you want to get married here on Meridian, is that what all this is?”

The blonde cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with her napkin to buy herself some time. Her lips slanted sideways as her words came to her. “Yes, I want to get married on Meridian, and I’d like to show you why.”

Suvi knew Sara was behind all of the chaos of the day. Everything strange usually has Sara’s name written all over it. “ _Show_ me? What do you mean? And if you wanted to get married here, why not just say so?”

“I was afraid you’d catch on to the surprise if it was my idea.” Ryder confessed.

Suvi glued her eyes to Sara’s and stared for several seconds before replying. “What surprise?”

“Finish up and I’ll take you to see it.” Ryder continued eating and watched as her fiancée did, too. Her nerves acted up the slightest bit at the possibility that it would get rejected, but she still was excited to see Suvi’s reaction.

After the two had finished their meal in view of the sunset, Sara and Suvi both piled into the nomad, prepared to take a short, five minute drive.

“Here.” Sara handed Suvi a small, black cloth without any explanation.

The scientist studied over the cloth in her hand and puzzled. “What’s this?”

“It’s a blindfold.” Ryder stated without taking her eyes off of the path. “Put it on, we’re getting close.”

The redhead obliged and proceeded to slip the blindfold over her eyes. She thought to herself how strict Sara was being with this ‘special surprise’. First, Ryder had to tell everyone about the surprise and get them all on board. Second, Sara was being highly mysterious by keeping this Surprise such a secret. Suvi thought it odd, but grew anxious to see what Ryder had done now.

As the nomad came to a slow halt, Sara got out of the car and opened the door for Suvi, carefully helping her exit the vehicle. Sara stared at her fiancée for a long second before allowing her to take the blindfold off.

Suvi slowly took off the cloth that covered her eyes and was introduced into a small, newly built building. “What’s this, where are we?”

The Pathfinder outreached a hand for Suvi to take and began to guide her up the stairs. “Come on.”

The couple shuffled up the steps, one by one, leading Suvi extra time to let her anticipation swell. Ryder’s nerves also began to pick back up. Sara could feel her palms start to sweat as she was hanging onto Suvi’s, and her heart knocked against her chest.

Newly fashioned, metal doors slid open and revealed what Suvi had always wished for. It was something so surreal, she couldn’t fathom what amount of work was put into something of such quality.

Suvi’s jaw fell as tears prickled at her eyes. One hand traveled up to her mouth to cover what she couldn’t close, and she allowed the tears to fall.

“It’s a chapel.” Sara chirped. She caught a glimpse of suvi’s reaction out of the corner of her eye and was able to relax. “It’s not perfect, but I know how you always wanted to get married in a chapel. I had this built for our wedding day- if you still want to get married in one.”

The Scot had taken a rough moment to garner any words together and only came up with one. She tilted her head towards Sara and matched her water-filled eyes with her fiancée’s. “How?”

Ryder drew a deep breath and locked eyes with her partner. “Any shore leave we had, I came here while you were doing science.” She drove her eyes across the lit candles that garnished the floors. “And I did all this today.” She Waved her arm over the candles around them and smirked. “Just to make it look extra fancy for the big reveal.”

Suvi arched an eyebrow towards the blonde and hushed her happy tears. “How did you have time to do this today with your interview?”

“Aw, Suvi. You’re so naive.” She shuffled over to the Scot beside her and wrapped her up. “There was no interview.”

Doctor Anwar let out a small puff of air, sighing into her partner’s arm. “I can’t believe you did this. I can’t believe you.”

“Do you like it?” The anxiety in Sara’s voice was audible but light as she spoke. It was true that Sara worked hard on her project, but if Suvi still preferred Aya, she would agree. Whatever Suvi wanted, Sara wanted as well- as long as Suvi was happy.

“ _Like_ it?” Suvi pulled apart from Sara and held both hands. “This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me. You did this for _me._ I love it Sara; more than words can say.”

Suvi never imagined she could love Sara any more than she already did. The way her partner diligently tried to surprise her day in and day out is what Suvi appreciated to the point of speechlessness. The Pathfinder was busy doing what a Pathfinder does, yes Sara always made Suvi the main focus. Suvi always wished for spontaneity to keep things interesting, but with Ryder, she didn’t need that. She had everything she ever wished for right in front of her.

The redhead curled back up into Ryder’s embrace and snuggled into the feeling of Sara’s warmth. It took every part of her to stop herself from melting completely.

The couple slowly started to dance as Sara held onto Suvi. No music, no one around, just the two of them surrounded by dimly lit candles and the need to hold on.

“I wish we had some music.” Suvi mumbled and rested her head against Sara’s chest. The back and forth sway between them was almost imperceptibly slow to the point neither of the women actually realized they were dancing.

Ryder looked down at the red hair that was snuggled into her chest. “SAM, play November Rain by Guns n’ Roses.”

A light piano riff sounded through Sara’s omni-tool and grew into an orchestra of ringing guitars, drums, violins and and eventually, solid vocals.

Suvi hummed in satisfaction and adopted a smile that she felt with her whole body. She stood in the very spot she was to get married in just shy of a week. “Can you believe we’re getting married in four days?”

The blonde rolled her eyes along the walls of the chapel to let the question sink in and think about the answer. “Yeah, I can believe it. It feels like I’ve been waiting for this forever. It’s finally happening.”

“Are you scared?” Suvi fished for any signs of cold feet to reassure her fiancée was sure of what she wanted.

“No, I’m not scared. You?”

“No. Me neither.”

The women continued to slowly dance holding onto each other to the song that Sara chose to be appropriate for the moment. Ryder was a lover of music in general, but Guns n’ Roses was one of few bands she could never resist. With her fiancée held tightly beneath her hold, she felt more in love than ever thought possible.

Sara looked down to the woman she held onto, back up to the walls around her, and ever so softly sang along to the song.

“ _I know it’s hard to keep an open heart,_ _When even friends seem out to harm you._ _But if you could heal a broken heart,_ _Wouldn’t time be out to charm you,_ _Whoa-oohh.”_

Suvi had heard Sara sing before, though opportunities to hear her were few and far between. Ryder’s voice was very average, but Suvi adored the sound so much, simply because she knew it meant Sara was happy.

“We’re going to be married.” Suvi whispered into Sara’s shirt.

Ryder wasn’t too sure if she was supposed to hear her or not, but responded anyways. “Finally,” She sighed.

“Finally.”

 

 

 

 


	2. Perfection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding takes place in Anromeda, and you are invited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a long time coming, so thanks to those who have stuck around. I hope I’ve done them justice!
> 
> To those who leave kudos and comments, you guys are angels! Thanks for making the hard work worth it!

_Perfection is something that never existed in the Milky Way. There were always so many expectations that were dreamed of and pictures that were painted about what true perfection really meant. It was something that I’d never been able to witness before. I’d believed in ‘good enough’ or exceptional standards but I was smart enough to know there was no such thing as real, true perfection… until I was proven wrong._  
  
“So, you go home tonight,” Ryder softly ordered and placed a kiss on Suvi’s cheek before continuing. “I already have Gil staying the night with you so you’re not alone. Lexi and PeeBee will go over there in the morning and help you get ready.” She sank her eyes into the woman in front of her and gently held both hands.  
  
Stood outside their quarters, Suvi allowed her face to fall. “And I’m guessing you’ll stay here?”  
  
The blonde slowly nodded while keeping eye contact with Doctor Anwar.  
  
“It’s going to be weird sleeping without you. I’ve always hated not having you there.” The redhead grumbled and flashed sulking eyes to the woman before her. She didn’t have the heart to bring up the last time she had slept without Sara. All Suvi remembered was feeling of the empty spot beside her on the bed, crying and praying for Sara’s recovery. It didn’t even qualify as ‘sleep’, it was nothing more than a constant toss and turn.  
  
Ryder allowed her eyes to drift around while her mind wandered in thought. “You know, I’ve never slept in our bed without you ever since we became exclusive. If I wasn’t with you, I was on duty, sleeping wherever we hoped was safe enough.” She put a bit of thought into it as well and silently agreed with Suvi. She knew she wouldn’t get much sleep that night without her partner being there.  
  
“Or in a hospital bed.” The doctor sighed.  
  
The longing stare the blonde displayed was tinged with pain. She buried her focus into Suvi and frowned. “Or in a hospital bed.” She slightly nodded. “I’m sorry that I put you through that. I never wanted to hurt you.”  
  
“I know you didn’t, I know. I’m just glad you’re safe.” Suvi’s warm smile reappeared as she knew Sara was there, that she was safe and healthy.  
  
“Just.. just pretend it’s like any other regular night while I’m on duty.” Ryder offered a solution she knew was lousy, but it was the best she could come up with.  
  
Suvi grimaced at what she believed to be a terrible fix and shook her head. “No, I don’t like that idea.” She chuckled. “I never slept well while you were away.”  
  
The Pathfinder watched as Gil approached from be background behind Suvi. She looked up to the engineer and and silently cursed his presence, knowing he was there to take away her fiancée.  
  
“Come on, cupcake! We need to get you out of here before midnight or else you’ll have a crap marriage that ends in a devastating separation full of despair and grief.” Gil stood with hands balled up into fists that rested on his waist. “And we don’t have long until midnight, so let’s go.”  
  
Ryder threw him a look that wasn’t new to either of them. She shook her head and tilted in her eyebrows to match an open mouth. She wondered where his so-called humor came from, though she loved having his slapstick comedy around.  
  
Suvi rolled her eyes while listening to Gil drag on. “He’s so dramatic.” She grinned.  
  
“Oh, really? I haven’t noticed.” The sarcasm in her voice was thick enough to make Suvi chuckle. “When I kiss you, right now, for the last time tonight… this will be our last kiss as single women.”  
  
The smile that Suvi tried to constrict broke through once she heard the sentiment coming from Sara. “Well then we better make it a good one.”  
  
The corner of Sara’s mouth angled upwards into half a smile. She ran two fingers over Suvi’s ear, curling a stray strand of hair behind it. The beauty of the woman stood before her was baffling. How one human being could look like a goddess was something Sara couldn’t comprehend.  
  
Ryder leaned in and pressed her lips to Suvi’s. The moment their lips met, their surroundings instantly faded away. She felt cold hands reach up to caress her face, moving along the soft tender lips of her partner. The deepened beat of her heart cried for more, for it to last forever. She memorized every movement, every texture, every sound and taste and smell.  
  
Sara wanted to remember what it was like kissing Suvi, her fiancée, because when she kisses Suvi, her wife, she will remind her every open moment that she is her wife and she will be kissed as such.  
  
Suvi shifted her weight into Sara’s body, trying to get just that much closer to her. It had been quite some time since Sara had kissed her like so. She heard Sara draw in a sharp, quick breath and let out a soft hum. She knew the end was coming, leading her to wrap her hands around the back of Sara’s neck as if to trap her there.  
  
Ryder regretfully tore apart the liplock and caught her breath. “Go on, now. Before you see me at midnight and we end up having a miserable marriage.” She chuckled.  
  
Suvi looked down at her feet and shared the same laugh. She brought her eyes back up to Sara and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the altar.”  
  
“I’ll be lookin’ for you.” Sara teased. “I love you.”  
  
Doctor Anwar always beamed at hearing those three little words. She shined a smile in Sara’s direction and picked up her night back off the floor. “I love you, too, my dear.” Her peck on the cheek was the final goodbye until she would see her all in white, and neither of them could wait.  
  
Ryder watched her heart skip away to take Gil’s hand. Her blue eyes tracked the redhead and took note of her giddiness and knew where it stemmed from- the same place from where her’s came. She leaned against the wall and watched as Gil used his free hand to take Suvi’s overnight bag. She knew she did right by making sure Gil was with her for such a big occasion. If anyone were to take care of and calm Suvi, it would be him.  
  
Finally, the light of morning broke through the windows of Meridian, presenting a beautiful day for a wedding. Suvi barely cracked her eyes open at the change in light and rolled over. Suddenly, she bolted upright once she recalled what day it was. Her sudden movement also woke Gil up, causing him to protest.  
  
“What’s wrong with you?” He stretched in bed beside Suvi.  
  
The redhead’s blue eyes grew big as she turned to face Gil. “I’m getting married today.” She croaked with a raspy voice.  
  
Gil turned over to his side and wrinkled his nose. “Yeah so you better go brush your teeth.”  
  
Suddenly embarrassed, Suvi took a moment to try and check her own breath before realizing it didn’t matter. She smacked Gil on the arm and began to bark orders. “Get up and get in the shower. I have to change and Lexi and Peebs will be here soon.”  
  
The engineer groaned before rolling out of bed. He made his way over to the door before he stopped himself and toddled over to Suvi, still half asleep. He placed both hands on her shoulders and forced eye contact. “Are you nervous?”  
  
Suvi softly smiled and shook her head. “No, not really.”  
  
“Good.” Gil grinned before he left the room. “Good girl.”  
  
Ryder stretched out her arms to flaunt the sleeves of her dress to Jaal and Drack. “Jaal, your moms did a lovely job on this dress. The stitching, the embroidery, it’s gorgeous.”  
  
“I’m glad you like it.” Jaal studied over the dress and softly smiled. “My mothers told me they had fun with the dress. I know they were just glad to pitch in.”  
  
Sara swiveled her head over to Drack who was only half paying attention. “Grandpa, what’re your thoughts?” She beamed.  
  
For a moment, Drack grumbled and ran his eyes over the gown for the first time. “It suits your personality. Although it may be a bit too classy for your taste.”  
  
Once Sara was done with her modeling spin, she punched Drack on the shoulder. “I’m classy as hell old man, and don’t you forget it.”  
  
Ellen stepped through the galley doors after searching several minutes for her daughter. The doors swooped open and introduced Sara showing off her dress. “Ooh.” Doctor Ryder teared up and covered her mouth the instant she saw Sara in her wedding gown.  
  
Ryder crunched her face and shook her head in embarrassment. “Mom, come on.”  
  
“My baby girl looks beautiful!” Ellen walked over and wrapped Sara into a gentle hug. After several seconds of not wanting to let go, Ellen was able to tear herself away and backed up to face Sara. “Are you ready?”  
  
Ryder looked to Jaal and Drack with nervous eyes and collected a nod from the two before they both stood up to leave. “Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s do this.”  
  
The chapel was only big enough to fit the team, The head of Nexus’ staff, and a few extras such as Harry Carlyle, Gil’s friend Jil, and Ellen Ryder. Sara stood up front once the chapel was full and searched the faces of her team, receiving several looks of hopeful luck and congratulations.  
  
Behind the Pathfinder, stood her brother, Scott. Ryder and Suvi both decided there was no better person to officiate other than Scott Ryder. He was a dear friend to Suvi and Sara’s literal other half. She’d have it no other way.  
  
Once Sara became lost in thought, the doors opened and the entire crowd that filled the chapel rose to the appearance of the bride. Sara was instantly startled out of her daydreams and instinctively rushed her eyes over to Suvi.  
  
Sara felt her Jaw drop completely, drawing in a breath of air. Her eyes welled with tears as they searched over Suvi. Her orange hair, her white dress, the blue eyes. What Ryder witnessed was true perfection. It was the first time she had ever discovered what it meant to be flawless.  
  
Suvi was latched onto Gil’s arm as they sauntered down the aisle. Her dress flaunted a long train that trailed behind her and over-the-shoulder sleeves that made her collarbone more prominent. In her eyes were tears that promised to disappear in order not to ruin her makeup. Suvi took a deep breath and allowed her smile to speak for her feelings as she kept walking.  
  
Ryder knew nothing other than the sight before her. Seeing Suvi in a wedding dress turned everything into reality that Sara finally caught onto. To Sara, Suvi was a perfect childhood, her favorite song on the loudest volume, a well-deserved vacation. She was a comeback in a losing game, the smell of summer rain, the first sip of coffee in the morning, the windows rolled down; the list never ended. Everything good Ryder had ever experienced was what Suvi portrayed to be in the eyes of Sara; and finally she had the promise of getting to experience perfection every day until the end of her days.  
  
As Doctor Anwar approached the front and Scott began talking, neither of the women paid much attention to his words. Sara looked in deeper to the blue eyes that reciprocated the same expression. Ryder noted the color in Suvi’s eyes and fell in love with every part of them. Every hue, every eyelash, and each eyebrow was what Sara needed in order to live from day-to-day. Her eyes were like poetry but softer, like water but harsher, like sunlight but brighter. Her eyes were the rolling thunder and the rain that falls with it. And Sara fell in love again, twice over.  
  
Before the Pathfinder truly understood what was happening, she heard the Scottish lilt roll through Suvi’s lips. Sara was pulled back into reality once she realized it was Suvi’s vows.  
  
“Sara Ryder,” Suvi began with a nervous chuckle and a beaming, bright grin. “It wasn’t easy when we first started dating. You’re the Pathfinder, the boss of everyone else and I wasn’t sure if it was a path I should have been taking. But it led us here.” The redhead looked down at the hands she was holding onto then back up to a highly focused Sara. “Today, I want to make a couple of promises to you. I want to promise you a safe haven. With you being the Pathfinder, you need shelter away from ‘Pathfinder Ryder,’ and you need a place for Sara Ryder, the person who loves coffee and has cheesy one-liners,” She chuckled. “And I also promise to give you my all. It’s been rough having you get injured quite frequently, but it’s my promise to you to play my role in healing, not hurting.”  
  
Sara wet her lips before adopting a flashy smile. She set her eyes on the Scot and began to share what she had to say. “Um, I- actually, I didn’t write anything.” She confessed.  
  
Suvi shook her head and whispered. “That’s okay.” She smiled.  
  
“But I did have something I wanted to say.” The blonde continued with a clear of her throat. She looked down at her feet before moving on. “For a bit, I was thinking about how to possibly write my vows. I struggled a bit then realized why it was so difficult. My feelings for you aren’t words. Love is not something that should be tainted with an explanation, it’s not something that can be said, love is only something that can be felt.”  
  
Suvi’s eyes narrowed in front of Sara and felt her smile creep back upon her lips. Ryder generally was not a woman of sentiment, she usually was a woman of few words, though she tucked away her romantic side for special occasions. When the romance shined through, though, it was something to be thankful for.  
  
“My vow to you is to always make you feel loved, because you are. To hold your heart with both hands, right next to mine, to be gentle with it and to protect it at all costs.” Ryder squeezed Suvi’s hands to emphasize and make her vows concrete. “I can’t promise you that I can make all of your problems disappear, but I can promise you’ll never face them alone. I will love you until my life has ended; until the very last beat of my heart, until my there is no longer a breath in my body, my heart is yours.” Finally realizing she had said what was needed to be said, she swallowed a lump in her throat and tried her hardest to calm her nerves.  
  
Listening to Sara speak nearly made Suvi a tad embarrassed. She had spent time on her vows and felt proud of them until the woman across from her put her speech to shame. It was the most beautiful form of shame a person could ever experience. She loved Sara, and she knew Sara’s words would be put into action.  
  
The couple said their “I Do’s,” and Scott continued forward with his speech. He spotted the googley eyes and mushy smiles they threw at each other throughout the ceremony, and Scott knew Suvi was no fling or mistake. He had never seen his sister in such a state. He loved how happy she was and he had his sister-in-law to thank for his future happiness due to her opinion on the ring.  
  
Scott has been counting down the days until it was appropriate to pop the big question. With Sara’s injury, and the wedding planning, the timing wasn’t fit, though soon, he hoped it would be.  
  
With a smile and a tilt of his head, he traded a look between the two and wrapped up the ceremony. “You now may kiss.”  
  
Ryder wrapped her arms around Suvi and softly swept her lips over her wife’s for the first time. She felt Suvi’s hands cradle her face, just like usual, and proceeded to melt completely.  
  
It wasn’t a long kiss, but for a moment- a short sliver in time, their souls found harbor in each other as they binded together for the first time and the women felt every second of it. Within the same moment in time, their belief of soulmates was confirmed. They both knew their souls had found one another.  
  
_Perfection is something that never existed in the Milky Way. There were always so many expectations that were dreamed of and pictures that were painted about what true perfection really meant. It was something that I’d never been able to witness before. I’d believed in ‘good enough’ or exceptional standards but I was smart enough to know there was no such thing as real, true perfection until Suvi Anwar proved me wrong._   
  
  


 

 

 


End file.
